The Demon Within
by obstanleycat
Summary: This story is about a girl who has another run in with Kurama. Yes, another. Her fate, as well as the worlds, will be decided by him, and his by her. She must face her inner demon, and make a decision.
1. Chapter 1

_**The Demon Within**_

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**I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho except for my own characters. **

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"Miss Hayashi. I'm talking to you. Are you paying attention to the question? I asked if you knew what the capital of America is. Well?" demanded Mr. Tatsuki angrily. "Are you daydreaming again?" 

"Yes, I do know the capital of America. It's Washington, D.C., right?" Rika said icily to Mr. Tatsuki.

"Yes, it is but for your impudence you have to do clean- up today. Got it Miss Hayashi?"

"So? I already have clean-up today. Why don't you pay attention to the sign-up sheet? I have duty for today and tomorrow." Rika said slowly to her stupid geography teacher. "It's not my fault that you aren't very bright."

Mr. Tatsuki turned a bright red. "How dare you speak to me like that! I'm going to send you to the principal's office right now! Now get out of my classroom!"

Suuichi looked at Rika's back as she left. "Why does she always insist on making Mr. Tatsuki mad? Every day she's sent to the office, but she's an angel to all the other teachers. Maybe I'll follow her and have a word about her disrespect for Mr. Tatsuki." He commented to himself.

"Excuse me Mr. Minamono, are you paying attention?"

"Oh, yes sir, I am. I was just admiring your new tie. I like it. It suits you." Kurama commented to Mr. Tatsuki.

"Oh, well, this old thing. It is just an old tie I kept around. It's nothing special." Mr. Tatsuki mumbled, blushing because the most popular and handsome boy had paid him a compliment.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the short man leap from the tree next to the window to somewhere on the roof. Kurama, on the other hand, noticed and was furious because anyone could have seen him, in particular Rika Hayashi. When he had first seen her, he knew that she was different from the other girls. It was the instinctive feeling he got whenever he met someone who had a tremendous amount of spirit energy, and it was what had saved him from some nasty enemies when he was Yoko.

Later that day, he started to trail Rika. He managed to get as far as the intersection, but lost her when she unexpectedly crossed the street without waiting for the light to change. He was shocked that she would so willingly do something so reckless when at school; she was the class officer who ensured that everyone was safe.

He crossed the street and looked around to see where she had gone, but there was no trace of her. He was surprised when Hiei suddenly landed next to him, and even more surprised that Hiei had also lost Rika.

"What happened fox? I saw that priestess run across the street and tried to follow her, but she cast a spell that stopped me from following her. Who is she that she can freeze me in my tracks, I who possesses the Black Dragon?" inquired Hiei angrily. "I intend to pay her back for humiliating me like that!"

"Hey! Who was that that just ran past me like the hounds of hell were on her trail? She was wearing your school uniform, Kurama. Who is she? I sensed a strong aura around her. I want to fight her. Where did she go?" Yusuke shouted to Kurama and Hiei as he crossed the street and stood on the corner.

"If we knew where she went we wouldn't be standing here would we now? And anyway, where did you crawl from?" Hiei stated sarcastically.

"I'll tell you more about what I know about her when we get to a more private location, ok? I feel kind of exposed just standing here where anyone could attack us." Kurama nervously said as he eyed the hulking man walking towards them. "Guys, I think it's time to go! Now, before he can get to us! Hurry!" he cried as the man broke into a run.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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Ok, so what do you think so far? Please review and enjoy! Standard disclaimers apply except for my own characters.

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"Why do we need to run, Kurama? Hey! I know who that is! That's the new kid in my class. Botan told me that he's a bounty hunter." Yusuke said as the man ran towards them. "Hey, Hiraku! What's up?" Yusuke called. 

"Nothing is up Urameshi. I'm trying to follow that suspicious girl who just ran past. And I thought I saw a familiar-looking Fox Demon standing next to you. Where'd he go?" he asked the confused Yusuke.

"Oh, you mean… Ouch! Hey! What do you think you're doing? Let me go!" Yusuke tried to yell, but as he was being muffled by the short fire demon it didn't sound like much.

"You really don't know much, do you? This is the son of the bounty hunter who injured Kurama when he was still Yoko. No wonder he ran away. This Hiraku person probably recognized Kurama from his father's description. He might try to capture him to prove himself as a great bounty hunter like his father." Hiei hissed into Yusuke's ear.

"Oh… I see. Ok. You can let me go now."

"What were you saying about my father, the greatest bounty hunter? He was the one who killed the notorious thief Yoko. I want to be as great as he was someday…" Hiraku trailed off, staring off into the distance. Suddenly he noticed everyone staring at him. "Sorry, but you are very loud Urameshi."

He glared at Hiei, mistaking him for a wimp, "What are you lookin' at, shrimp? Do you have a death wish?"

Yusuke panicked as Hiei, who was rapidly losing his temper, started to assume a fighting position. Yusuke knew that Hiraku was no match for the angry fire demon. He didn't want to be blamed for another casualty on his shift, so he hastily got between the two and told Hiraku that it would be better if they all split up to search for the mysterious girl.

"Oh, I think I've seen her around the old temple, the one in the forest on the edge of town. Maybe that's where she was going. We should go over there and see if she's there. If she isn't, we can stake out her school," Said Hiraku enthusiastically, suddenly changing tone. "Let's go!"

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Sorry this one's so short. I can't think because I'm lazy. Any suggestions would be appreciated. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own any characters other than my own. (But they may be slightly different…)

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When they found the temple, they tried to find someone who could locate the girl they were trying to follow. Eventually they found an old man who had no idea who they were looking for but saw one of the pretty priestesses, the one with the hot body, go by just ten minutes ago. 

"Hey, could that priestess be the girl we were looking for?" Wondered Yusuke out loud.

"Who else could it be?" Hiei muttered to himself.

**Hiei's POV**

_I hope she can get away from these dunderheads. She won't be happy if she's caught because of me not leading them away. Why am I worrying? She can take care of herself; she's been doing it for several millennia. She doesn't need my help, but she's going to be pretty mad if I don't do anything. I'll just mislead them, and hope that she's well hidden._

As the trio walked away from the senile old man and entered the forest, they were generally unaware that they were being watched. Except for Hiei, they didn't sense the red headed Kurama silently following them. Hiraku, who was becoming more and more nervous as they proceeded into the dark forest, asked, "Don't you think that this forest is kind of creepy and silent? Doesn't it bother you a little?"

"No, it doesn't really bother me. Does it bother you? You don't have to come with us if you don't want to." Yusuke told the now shivering Hiraku. "How can you be the son of a famous bounty hunter if you're afraid of some dark forest?"

Hiraku glared at Yusuke, who started to whistle and skip as he walked down the path, which was becoming more overgrown as they went farther away from the edge of the forest.

Suddenly Hiei shouted, "There! Yusuke, I saw her! She's behind that tree- the oak! Shoot at her before she gets away!"

Kurama's POV

_What? Why is Hiei pointing to that tree? There's nobody there. Why is he drawing attention to himself? Is he trying to distract the others so he can help whoever the girl really is?_

"How am I supposed to know what an oak looks like? There are lots of similar looking trees here! Point to the tree!" Yusuke shouted as he readied his spirit gun.

Yusuke fired several shots toward the tree Hiei was pointing to, and a shadow leaped away from the destroyed tree.

"Gotcha, you shadow! Stop and put your hands above your head!" Hiraku shouted to the cloaked figure, which, to his surprise, wobbled and collapsed into a pile of clay.

"What!? We've been following a decoy?! Oh, when I get my hands on whoever wasted my time, I'll…" Yusuke trailed off as his small brain realized what had happened. "Hiei, why did you draw my attention to that zombie? Did you not sense that it didn't have an aura? Or were you trying to distract us from the girl? Do you know who she is? Well?" demanded Yusuke to a glowering Hiei, who was by now wishing that he hadn't drawn attention to the homunculus.

"Humph. I won't answer any questions. I have no idea who she is, and no, I wasn't trying to distract you. And, for your information, that is a homunculus. Happy?" Hiei grunted as he walked over to the pile of clay and started to inspect it.

"Um… Didn't you just answer all your questions?" Hiraku asked the fuming Yusuke as they walked over to the mound of clay.

"Like I care. He can go to hell for his stubbornness." Snapped Yusuke, who then promptly forgot what he had just said when Hiei silently pointed to something glittering in the mound of clay.

"What is that? I think I've seen that before, but I just can't remember." Yusuke muttered as he picked up the glittering object, which was a necklace made of gold and the pendant an oblong black stone with a scarlet ruby in the middle of it.

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What is this necklace, and who does it belong to? Will the others find out who the girl is and what her connection to Hiei is? Chapter 4 is coming up soon. Please review and enjoy. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters except my own.

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As they stared at the sparkling necklace hanging from Hiei's hand, Kurama, hidden in the trees, was deep in thought. He knew that he had seen that necklace before, but couldn't remember where. He knew that he had seen it recently, but all he could remember was the necklace slowly swinging in front of him, and someone singing softly in the demon tongue. 

"I feel like I've seen that before. I think it was in a book my dad gave me for my birthday. I'll see if I can find it, and if I can I'll show you the picture of it. All I can remember of it is that it's a powerful demonic artifact, and was last seen several centuries ago. There aren't any records of it after that." Hiraku told Hiei.

"Well, there isn't much we can do here now. Let's go home and get something to eat. I'm starving, and I really want to go talk to Genkai about that necklace." Complained Yusuke, as he turned away from the confused Hiraku and started walking back down the path towards town.

"Hn. Yes, I have something important to do. I will be leaving your unpleasant company, and I may or may not come to see you again, as it depends on how stupid you are in the coming days." And with that, Hiei left.

"Why in the world do you hang out with him? In my opinion, he is just a nosy, bratty shrimp who ought to be taught his place in the world. If I could, I would pound him flat and leave him for the birds, but you seem to respect him and if you do I will. Ok?" commented Hiraku, as he walked with Yusuke down the path heading back towards town, with Kurama (a.k.a. Suuichi) following them through the trees.

**The Next Day**

"Hey, old hag! I have a question for you! I found…" Yusuke yelled as he walked, uninvited, into Genkai's house the day after they had found the necklace in the forest.

He was interrupted by an irate Genkai, who kicked him into the wall.

"Yes, I know what you found, Hiei came and told me about it and I do know what it is, but I'm not going to tell you, because the owner of that necklace doesn't want me to. Got it or do I need to _gently_ force you to leave her alone?" Genkai snapped as she proceeded to sit on Yusuke's stomach and pummel his face.

"But, why can't I know, and who- ahhh!" Yusuke screamed as Genkai dug her knee in his vulnerable spot, just below where she was sitting on Yusuke's chest.

"I'm not going to tell you unless _she_ wants me to or until _she_ tells you herself." Genkai told Yusuke, who was still rolling around on the floor in agony. He hadn't heard anything she'd said after she had injured him, and she knew it.

"Besides, you'll eventually meet her; she goes to Kurama's school. Kurama sees her every day, but he doesn't know that, and _she_ doesn't want him to."

"But…" Yusuke started to ask as he struggled to get a grip on the pain and focus on what Genkai had said.

"No buts! _She'll_ tell you when _she's_ ready and not any sooner."

"Can I tell Kurama that she goes to his school?"

"Well, I think that he's already got an idea of who she is. But if he's smart he won't push her to tell him about herself. If he does try, he'll be in either lots of pain or lots of pleasure." Genkai calmly stated, ending the conversation.

"I don't understand, why the pleasure? Are they going to…?" Yusuke was abruptly cut off as Genkai kicked him.

"That's not what I meant! Although... Anyway, our conversation is over. Goodbye." With that Genkai threw Yusuke out of her house and into a mud puddle.

"Wait, you hag! What do you mean? Tell me!" Yusuke howled as he struggled to extricate himself from the slippery puddle.

"I didn't think that you of all people could slip to a new low. Apparently I was wrong." Hiei smirked as he watched Yusuke flail around in the mud.

"Oh yeah? I could kick your butt any day, just wait and see if I don't you runt!" Yusuke shouted as he slowly climbed out of the puddle.

"Hah! Not in your present state you can't. But that's not what I came here for. Keiko is looking for you because you were late for the tutoring class she teaches after school." Hiei smirked as he recalled the furious state he had left Keiko in and how she was going to punish Yusuke for not showing up. "I really don't want to be you at the moment."

"Crap! She's going to kill me!" Yusuke ran away, back towards town to go take a quick shower and get something to placate Keiko.

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How is Yusuke going to save himself from Keiko's rage? I certainly don't envy him. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, and I really feel sorry for Yusuke because Keiko mad is really scary. Really, really scary. Scarier than any demon known to man (not many, unfortunately), but the ones we do know she tops them all. 

By the way, I really want to know what you think about my story so far. Can you please review?

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When we last saw Yusuke, he was hightailing back to town to shower and face Keiko's wrath. He didn't want to do it, but he had to do something to calm her down, or else she was going to kill him, then kill him a few times more. It was bad enough that he had died once, but Keiko was definitely going to kill him again for missing her tutoring session, but he called it hell (behind her back, of course). 

Yusuke's POV

_Oh, crap! She's going to have my guts for supper if I don't get her something to make her happy. Maybe Kurama can grow me some of her favorite flowers. I think that might stop me from being dismembered. Yeah, that'll happen when Hell freezes over. What am I going to do?! I've got to go see Kurama and get him to do something fast, or I might not be here tomorrow. _

As he was rounding a corner, he unexpectedly collided into a girl with long black hair, knocking her down. He gasped as he realized that this girl was the one they had chased in the woods the other day.

"Hey, I know you! You go to Kur- I mean Suuichi's school. And I saw you somewhere else- in the woods the other day." He was interrupted as she leaped to her feet and fled away from him, back the way she had come. Yusuke, on the other hand, wasted no time in running after her. He wasn't about to let her go again.

The chase was short, as she easily outdistanced him. Before Yusuke could fire his Spirit Gun at her in an attempt to stun her, she disappeared around a corner.

"Rats! I really want to know who she is and if the necklace we found belongs to her. Oh well, Genkai told me that she goes to Kurama's school, so I can ask him about her when I see him. Wait, why am I going to go see him?" In the course of chasing the girl, he had totally forgotten why he was going to see Kurama, a.k.a. Suuichi.

Fortunately, the person in question walked around the same corner Yusuke had lost the girl around. He was saved the question of why he was going to go see him, as the aforementioned person walked up to him to enquire why he was staring off into space.

"Yusuke, why are you just standing there? Keiko is really mad and wants everyone to go find you. The first one to bring back your head gets a homework pass. Everyone is out looking for you, and I was unfortunately recruited. I couldn't say no, as that would jeopardize my cover as the hottest guy/demon-in-hiding. You probably want me to grow Keiko's favorite flowers for her, don't you? Well, I just happened to have them with me, knowing your way of buttering up Keiko. So now, off you go to see Keiko. Bye!" Kurama called out cheerfully as he shoved the flowers into Yusuke's hands and pushed him towards the school.

"Oh wait, I wanted to know if a girl with long black hair goes to your school. What is her name? I just ran into her just before you arrived, and she went in the direction you came from. Did you see her?" Yusuke managed to ask before he went to meet an incensed enraged Keiko.

"Oh yes, she does, and her name is Rika Hayashi. She's kind of on the quiet side, and she doesn't have any close friends. But she's a genius at math, and she and her brother Shigekazu tutor after school on Tuesdays and Fridays. I didn't see her come around the corner though. I wonder what she did to vanish so quickly, so that I didn't even see her round the corner. She must be very good at disappearing like that. Hmm…" he trailed off as he thought about Rika.

Kurama's POV

_Well, she is pretty. I know that she is special, but I don't want to ask her because she might be stronger than I am, and she could destroy me if I make her mad. What do I do? Maybe I should just lead into my question. Yeah, and then I could maybe ask her out. Wait, what am I thinking?! I don't have that kind of feelings toward her! And besides, if I do, then my fan club will be really mad and might try to kidnap me to exact their revenge against her. What do I do?_

While he thought about that, he resumed pushing Yusuke towards the school. He was so preoccupied that he didn't notice Hiei walking next to him until he said, "So what's with the vacant stare? That isn't like you. What's on your mind? The girl from yesterday?"

Kurama blinked and looked down at Hiei. He started to blush and quickly said, "No. I was thinking about, uh, the necklace! Right, the necklace. I still haven't looked for references to it yet. What have you been doing?"

Hiei gave Kurama a searching look that said: I think you're covering up your real feelings. "Well, not much. I took another look at the remains of the homunculus, and I didn't see anything different from what we saw in the forest. On the other hand, I suggest that you tell me what is really on your mind. We've been through a lot; I know when something's bothering you."

Kurama looked away from his friend to hide the blush that covered his cheeks. "Well, uh, it's spring, and so…"

"Oh. I see. It's springtime for you foxes." Hiei managed to say it without grinning, but gave up and smirked at the blushing fox. "I hope you keep your emotions under control when you..."

At this Kurama yelped and said, "No! I don't want to do _that_! If I have to I'll leave until my season is over."

"But what if she wants to too? Are you going to deny her what she wants?"

Kurama was speechless as he contemplated what Hiei had said. What if she did want him? Would he do IT with her? No, he decided. I'm not going to do anything until she's older, maybe out of high school. If she still wants me by then.

Hiei's POV

_I hope that if he does take her, he'll be considerate. But then, he always is. But if he hurts her, I'll have to take drastic action._

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What kind of drastic action will Hiei take? I love making cliff-hangers! But I don't like making you all wait. Conflict of ideas! Help! 

I have had to rewrite some of my chapters several times because I couldn't get the storyline the way I wanted it. Do any of you other authors have this problem? It's kind of irritating because it takes up time that I could be using to do my homework.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

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Finally, chapter 6! I can't believe I got this far without giving up on it! Although it would be easier if you people would send a review… anyway, read and enjoy! And I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho ©, but I love my own characters.

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The last time we were here, Kurama was thinking about Rika in an unusual way, meaning that he just realized that he had some kind of feelings toward her, due to his mating season. If you don't understand, Rika will explain sometime in the future.

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Kurama's POV 

_Oh, what am I going to do? I knot that my feelings about her aren't just because of my season. I definitely can't tell her outright… maybe someone can help me. Hey, Shigekazu probably could. I mean, he's her brother. He should be able to tell her that she has a lover._

As Kurama was pondering these things, Rika, the object of his new affections, was just starting to warm up in preparation of the big track tournament the next day. As she stretched, she wondered how long it would take for Kurama, a.k.a. Suuichi, and the others to realize that she wasn't completely human. She hoped that it wouldn't be any time soon. She knew that it would mortify Hiei, who had his ego and his pride to uphold. She also wondered about Suuichi's feelings towards her. She had noticed in the previous weeks that he was acting strangely toward her. Then when he and the boys had been chasing her in the forest, she briefly saw the emotions on his face before it returned to its normal coolness. She wondered if he was sick, and decided to keep an eye on him to make sure that it wasn't serious. But if it wasn't, then…

Suddenly, she was startled out of her thoughts by a slap on the back by one of her teammates.

"Hey, I hope you aren't getting nervous about this big tournament tomorrow. If we lost because one of our best runners chickened out, the school would be humiliated, and that stupid rival school won't stop gloating." Risa Kasahara, one of Rika's few close friends, chided her as she continued to try to reassure her up in her strange way. "I know, you're thinking about that hunk Suuichi. I understand completely. We all love him!" she squealed as she started to dance around in a fantasy of seeing Suuichi all to herself, without regard for the other fan girls.

"Hey, you loser, what do you think you're doing?! Do you think that you can just claim Suuichi as your own without consulting us first? He belongs to all of us, not just you. And that goes for you too, Hayashi!" A pack of fan girls shouted, all of whom were glaring at Risa and Rika rather venomously.

"Wow, if looks could kill we'd be dead. Whatcha think? Should we make a run for it or hope that the hunk comes and saves us?" Risa asked as she eyed the rabid fan girls, who were starting to look like they would like to just kill them and hide the bodies.

Rika looked at the girls, and then towards the school gates. "I think we can get away. On my signal, we run for the gates. Got it? One, two, three, go!"

At the signal, both of them whirled and dashed towards the gate. The fan girls weren't going to let them get away without them answering their questions though. They immediately started to swarm, attracting other fan girls miles away. Fan girls can always sense when one of their hives is swarming to protect the object of their fantasies. They act like bees when one bee is squished- the dead bee gives off a scent that attracts other bees. That's why Suuichi doesn't spend much time after school, because the fan girls hang out wherever he is, and they tend to attract fan girls from other schools who might not even know who Suuichi is.

Anyway, halfway to the gate and safety, the girls were intercepted by said hunk.

"Why are you…?" Suddenly he caught sight of what was chasing them, and his eyes widened. He abruptly turned as dashed back out the gates and ran like the wind.

"What did you do?! Why did you make them swarm? Hide me!" Suuichi screamed hysterically as he frantically looked for a place to hide. He flinched as Rika rushed past him, grabbing his hand and dragging him into one of the shops. She shoved him around a checkout counter, and then did the same with Risa before she too ducked down behind it. He trembled as he thought of what his fan girls would do to him if he was caught.

After a while, he stopped trembling because nothing had happened. No rabid fan girl had come to snatch him, so he cautiously peered over the counter. When nothing happened, he got up and looked to see where he had ended up. He saw that it was a bookstore, and that there was a strange feel to the place. He thought that he had felt this feeling before, but didn't know where. He decided to be careful in what he did, in case something unexpected happened. You could never be too careful when it came to places like this shop. Anything could happen.

"Wow that was close girl! We could have been caught and tortured by fanatical fan girls. That would be messy, and I don't like being messy!" Risa exclaimed as she dusted herself off, as she had fallen into a pile of dust bunnies when she had been pushed behind the counter. "Isn't this your aunt's shop? Will she mind if we stay for a few days?"

"_He_ can't stay here though. His mom will worry herself to death if he doesn't come home tonight. You can stay though. I don't mind, and so she won't mind. Make yourself comfy Mr. Minamono. You might be staying for a while until those crazy fan girls of yours give up the chase." Rika told Suuichi as she walked between the bookcases and away into the back of the shop.

Suuichi glanced at Risa, who made a face at him and said "If it wasn't for you, she wouldn't be in trouble with those horrible girls. They're jealous of her because they think that you two are a couple."

Suuichi felt himself turning red. He started to stammer that he didn't like Rika like that; she was just a classmate, nothing more and nothing less.

Risa just looked at him and he struggled to change the subject. "So, uh, how's training going for the tournament?"

"Hmm, if I didn't know better, I'd think that you like her. Your reaction proves it! 'Fess up, tell her that you have a crush on her. She'll …"

"Risa! How nice to see you again! And who's this?"

Risa looked up and saw Rika leaning against one of the bookcases, and her aunt striding toward them.

Risa glared for a moment at Suuichi, and then turned and introduced him. "Anyang, this is one of our school mates, his name is Suuichi Minamono. Suuichi, this is Rika's aunt. Anyang, he…"

"…is very pleased to meet you." He hastily interrupted before she could tell Anyang that he had a crush on her niece. "How do you do?" He reached for the proffered hand and was surprised that his hand was nearly crushed in her strong grip.

She grinned at him and said, "Yes, I do have quite a grip, don't I girls?"

They agreed, and Risa launched into a story where Anyang had once broken a client's hand.

"Oh, Rika, you should show this nice man around the shop. Go give him the full tour, ok?" Anyang told her niece as she grabbed Suuichi's arm in her muscular grip and pushed him at Rika.

Suuichi was surprised to see the faint blush on her cheekbones and hearing her slight stammer as she answered her aunt.

"Good, then off with both of you! Risa, if I might talk to you for a moment…"

As Rika led him farther into the shop, he couldn't help but gaze at her hips when she walked. She had this peculiar way of swaying slightly when she walked. It excited him to watch move so gracefully. And then his eyes moved down farther, and he forced himself to look at something else besides her.

He didn't notice her shiver slightly while he was ogling her. But someone else did, and their eyes burned with jealousy.

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So what will happen while Rika gives Suuichi the tour of the bookshop? Maybe some heart-to-heart talk or maybe nothing will happen. Find out in the upcoming chapter. Review please! Thank you firewolfsky and kur-chan for the nice reviews! 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

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I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, or any characters other than mine.

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As Rika led Suuichi around the bookstore, she pointed out the different sections: history, math, science, biographies, and manga. He appropriately looked where she pointed, and commented accordingly. She proceeded to lead him up to the second story, where the magazines, fiction, non-fiction, schoolbooks, nature guides and kids books were. 

As they walked through the bookcases, they came to a set of narrow stairs that were labeled: Do Not Enter, Employees Only. Rika led Suuichi over to them and started to climb up, but he stopped her.

"We shouldn't go up there. It says Employees only, and you aren't working here, are you?" Suuichi pointed out as he caught her arm.

"Well, no. But I have permission to go up there any time I like. So it's ok for us to go up there. Anyway, there are some books I think you'll like. Come on, let's go." Rika told him, pulling her arm away from his grasp.

He hesitated, but followed her up the dimly lit stairs. When they were about halfway up to the top, Rika suddenly shrieked as something furry crashed into her. She started to fall backwards, and Suuichi tried to catch her by grabbing her shoulders. His hands, however, had a different idea of what they should grab. As she fell, his hands shot between her arms and her body, and to his surprise he found himself holding her breasts. He managed to steady her, clasping her against himself to keep her from falling again. She struggled weakly to tear herself away from him, but he didn't want to let go of her yet. It was too dark to see her expression, but he knew that she must be blushing. His own face was burning, but in the back of his mind he thought that her breasts felt good in his hands.

He tried to tell her that it was an accident, but his mouth wouldn't work. Then there was a loud yowl as the furry thing that had knocked her off balance attacked him, scratching his face with sharp claws. She extricated herself, ran up the rest of the stairs carrying what appeared to be a cat, and disappeared. Faintly he heard someone asking a question, but he didn't know who it was until he got over his shock of feeling her warm body pressed against him, and finished climbing the stairs. At the top, he saw Shigekazu, Rika's brother talking to a crimson-faced Rika, who stopped talking when he appeared. He finally managed to blurt out an explanation of what had happened, and he saw Shigekazu looking amused and on the brink of laughter.

"So, Suuichi, I see that you have become lucky. Many boys have been dreaming of fondling her like you did. Are you happy?" He asked mischievously, giving him a discreet wink. Rika wasn't as amused as her brother was, and she let him know by whacking him with a book that she had grabbed off the shelf.

"You two may think its funny, but I don't! Either one of us could have fallen down the stairs and died or have been paralyzed for life!" She whirled and stomped away, still carrying the furry bundle. She ran between the bookcases, with Suuichi close behind her, and when he had caught up to her, he tried to tell her that it was an accident. She just sped up, darting around the shelves, trying to get away from him. He didn't give up, but started to try to get in front of her. Finally, he managed to block her.

He finally saw what she was holding, and he involuntarily stepped back. She was holding a black cat that was angrily glaring at him with blazing red eyes.

She was panting slightly, and her face was still red. He looked directly in her eyes and said, "I didn't mean to grab you like that. I missed your shoulders in the dark. I'm sorry. Anyway, what is that thing you're holding? It looks evil!" He paused, inspecting the books on the shelves. "What kind of books are these? They look ancient. Are they history books?"

She glanced around her, and then looked back at him and said, "These are indeed ancient. These are the kind of books that I wanted you to see. Take a look at the titles. And this is Chizu. She is very protective, as you may have found out."

He gently touched the scratches on his cheek, and did as she asked. He was shocked to see several of them written in the demon script. "Where did you get these? These books are extremely dangerous. They should be locked up!"

She chuckled, and showed him the force field spells that enclosed the shelves. "Yes, that's why I have them behind these charms. If they weren't protected, I wouldn't let any clients come up to browse. Some of these books have rather violent tendencies to try to bite off people's heads. Very nasty."

Suuichi continued to look at the books on the shelves. He asked, "Can I look at this one? I want to find out if the necklace I have is mentioned in it. I have the necklace here with me, so you can look at it."

Rika carefully released the spell that kept the book on the shelf and gave it to him as he gave her the necklace. She inspected the necklace, running her hands over the pendant. Suuichi didn't know that the necklace belonged to her, and he was too busy looking at the book to notice that her eyes had changed color and were now silver instead of blue.

Meanwhile

Anyang was downstairs talking to Risa, who explained the soon-to-be couple. Anyang was interested that her niece had a lover at last, and she wanted to try to help their relationship along. Risa wanted to help too, and so they started to devise a plan to get them together. While they were doing this, Shigekazu came downstairs and butted into their conversation.

"Hey, what are you two doing? Does it happen to include Rika and Suuichi? If it does, they're upstairs on the third floor alone. Not counting Chizu, of course."

Anyang and Risa exchanged a look. Together they walked over to the stairs and started to climb up them, but someone else was coming down them. The man roughly pushed his was between the two women, and Risa shouted "Hey, watch it! You should come back and apologize for pushing us! Hey!"

The man paid no attention to her, and Risa started to go after him, but Anyang whispered "No! That man's dangerous! Stay away from him!"

Risa immediately stopped and backed away from the man, dashing back up the stairs to where Anyang waited. She looked at Anyang, who gestured to go up to the second floor.

When they reached the top, Risa demanded to know why she couldn't have punched the man. Anyang told her, "That man isn't really a man. I briefly saw that he had an illusion around him, hiding his true appearance. I didn't see what he really looked like, and I'm not sure I want to. Anyway, he's trouble, and I don't want any trouble this close to closing time."

"Ok, I'll leave him alone, but I think that Rika could take him on. Oh, we were going to go spy on them. Let's go before they finish and come down." So saying, Risa bounded over to the narrow stairs that led up to the third floor. Once she got there, she proceeded to tiptoe slowly up the stairs, with Anyang and Shigekazu following her.

As Risa peeped over the top of the steps, she gasped in shock. The other two also looked over the step and were also shocked by what they saw.

* * *

What did they see that caused them to be shocked? Were Rika and Suuichi in a passionate embrace? Were they doing _it_? Or was nothing happening? Find out in the next chapter. Please review and enjoy! 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

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I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, but I love both the anime and the manga. I haven't seen the whole thing, just bits that are out of order. I know what happens though.

* * *

Quick summary: Ok, so Rika and Suuichi were left alone on the third floor, and Risa, Anyang and Shigekazu are at the top of the stairs, spying on them. They saw something very shocking. What was it?

* * *

Risa and Anyang gasped, while Shigekazu just looked on with amusement. He had seen this before, and wasn't as surprised as the other two. 

What they saw was… Nothing, since Rika and Suuichi were hidden from them. But they did see a short man with strange hair and a sword dressed in black paging through a book. As they stared at him, he spun around, dropped the book, drew his sword and leaped at them.

Fortunately for them, the man recognized Shigekazu and stopped before he skewered them. He sheathed his sword and growled, "What are you all doing? I should tell Rika that you're spying on her and Ku- Suuichi."

He was suddenly pounced upon, as Risa clapped her hand over his mouth and hissed at him that he would face dismemberment if he made any noise that would alert Rika to their presence. She was roughly shoved, and she found herself sitting on the floor, and the man perched on one of the bookcases.

He was furious, and he would have hit her if he hadn't turned his head to look at something and go after whatever it was that had distracted him. He disappeared, and Risa was just about to go after him when she remembered that she was supposed to be quiet so that Rika wouldn't suspect that she was being watched. She muttered something under her breath about what she would do if she caught the man, and then got to her feet and peeked around one of the bookcases. She spotted what she was looking for immediately and beckoned to Anyang, who crept over to where she was pointing.

What they saw was Rika standing next to Suuichi, who was immersed in a book. Since Rika had her back to them, they couldn't see what she was doing. She couldn't see them either, which was good for them.

Rika's POV

_I can't get over what Suuichi did to me! He says that it was an accident, but I don't think it really was. I just can't stop thinking about it. I don't know what to think about it. Maybe… no, I don't want to think of that, not yet. I really don't know what to think about Suuichi, but he's so familiar, and reminds me of someone long dead. Maybe Hiei can tell me more about him. I know that he has some kind of spiritual power, and that he was arrested for stealing on of King Enma's treasures, but I don't know any more than that, I must ask Hiei when he comes here today. _

_Wait, what will I do for an excuse? I don't want them to know our relationship yet, but I need an alibi as to why Hiei is suddenly showing up here. I hope that Hiei is good at thinking on his feet._

Suuichi's POV

_What in the world was I doing?! I shouldn't have come here today. If I don't leave, I might do more that just grope her. I might try to rape her, and then she will hate me forever. But she reminds me so much of my dead mate. Wait, if my mate really was dead, I shouldn't be in my season yet. The mourning period isn't over; I still have ten years left. I don't understand. Maybe Genkai can help me figure this out. Yes, I'll ask her either later today or tomorrow._

Suuichi looked up from the book, and glimpsed Hiei, just before said person darted up a spiral staircase. He glanced at Rika, and was surprised to see that she was gone. He wondered where she was, and decided to see what Hiei was doing here while he looked for Rika.

Suuichi walked up the spiral staircase, and looked around for Hiei. He found him next to a window, talking to Rika, who was still holding the necklace. He heard them arguing about a book that Hiei had dumped on the floor earlier. It seemed that Rika was scolding him for dropping it like that, and he was promising that he would go back and put it away properly.

As he walked closer to them, he noticed that they already seemed to know each other. Against his better judgment, he interrupted their argument, saying "Oh, I didn't know that you two knew each other. Hiei, when did you meet Rika, and vise versa?"

They looked a little surprised, and Rika said, "I don't actually know him; he wanted to see where you were. He also wanted this necklace back, and I wanted him to put away the book he dropped by the stairs. He doesn't trust me with the necklace, just like I don't trust him with my books."

"When would I associate myself with a human female? Yusuke and Kuwabara are enough human association as I want, and even then I could do without the numbskull. I leave it up to you to decide which one I'm talking about." Hiei flatly stated, gazing with some disgust at Rika. He snatched the necklace away from her, and put it in an unseen pocket.

Suuichi gulped at the growing "tension" between Rika and Hiei. He hastily put himself between them before they killed each other, and suggested that they try to get along, so that the store wasn't destroyed. He also advised that Hiei go put away the aforementioned book.

"I will. Oh, by the way, some other humans are trying to spy on you. The girl touched me." Hiei shuddered at the brief contact with Risa.

Rika turned and muttered something under her breath that they couldn't hear, and Anyang, Risa and Shigekazu stumbled into sight.

"Hey, so what were you two doing here all alone? I mean, not to be snoopy or anything, but I was worried that this good-looking man here would try to seduce you into doing something inappropriate. I'm just worried about your virginity, that's all." Risa babbled, trying to hide why they were really spying on them.

Rika raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so that's what you're up to. If you wanted to know what our relationship was, you could just ask."

Suuichi spluttered, turning as red as the ruby was in the necklace. "Our r-relationship? We're nothing more than friends, right?"

She nodded, and turned away to put away the book that she had brought with her, one that she had been reading at school. She did this to hide the redness spreading across her cheeks, and also to check to see if her eyes were back to normal. Thankfully they were, and she turned back to face them again.

Anyang had noticed briefly that her niece's eyes were different, but she thought that it had just been the light. So she dismissed it, and started to ask who this strange man was, and how he had gotten in, as the third floor was protected by numerous spells that would have, if they had worked, incinerated him and set off an alarm.

Hiei didn't answer her, but stalked away to put away the book. He looked down the staircase and saw a shadow with red eyes staring at him, and he immediately attacked, while shouting for Rika and Suuichi (Kurama) to come and deal with the remains of the shadow.

"What?! Get it and kill it if it won't cooperate. We're coming!" Rika yelled as she and Suuichi darted towards the scuffle. Unfortunately, the shadow dissolved, leaving Hiei with a shred of its bloodstained cloak.

Rika and Suuichi arrived, and Hiei showed them the piece of cloth. He asked, "Can either of you trace this to where the thing went? It's not human, but a rogue demon in Human World. Koenma should be happy to see him, since he's a known human killer. Personally, I can think of a few humans the world would be better off without."

"Rika, can you do this kind of thing?" Suuichi asked, handing the fabric to her.

"Yes, but I can't do it here. Anyang, we're going to the temple to do this. Risa, I'm afraid that you'll have to stay here to watch and see if he comes back. We'll be back in a few hours. Bye!" She called as she ran down the stairs with Hiei and Suuichi close behind.

Risa was understandably mad that she was being left behind, but she was happy to hopefully catch the man and punish him accordingly, and then collect the bounty, if there was a bounty. Which there probably was, and she was determined to get rich.

* * *

Will Risa catch the demon, and receive the bounty, or will he escape and kill more humans? 

I may need to change the summary because I had a good story, but then it went and changed on me, and the second one is better. I hope that I don't confuse you if you can't find my story summary. Enjoy!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, and my characters aren't quite in character, but as I write I'll try to make them better. Oh, and I figured out when this story takes place. It takes place between the Yukina rescue and the Dark Tournament.

* * *

Quick recap: Hiei saw and attacked a strange shadow that turned out to be a wanted demon, and Rika, Suuichi (Kurama, now that he's going to show off his demonic powers), and Hiei have gone off to the temple to see if Rika can trace the scrap of bloodstained cloth that the demon left behind.

* * *

Rika, Kurama, and Hiei sped off to get to the temple so that Rika could trace the blood left by the demon that had been spying on them in the bookstore on the third floor. As Rika had told them on their way, she had to do it at the temple because it had a strong spiritual flow that would help her find the demon. 

Kurama didn't think that she would be able to keep up with them, as she was a human and probably couldn't keep up with two demons, but she surprised them both by outdistancing them. She arrived several seconds before they did, but that didn't surprise Hiei as much as that Kurama had kept up with them both so well, as he was still healing since the Makai Whistle (Is that what it was called? I can't remember) had been destroyed. He wouldn't have shown that he was concerned, but Kurama had noticed that Hiei had been stealing glances at him and finally told him, "I'm going to be fine. My wound is almost gone, there's just a faint scar left and then that'll heal with time."

Hiei blinked and said, "I wasn't worried about you, I was wondering what to call you now. Should I call you by your human name or demon name? Do you want Rika to know that you're a demon? You know, she probably has an idea, so you shouldn't keep it hidden. She might think that you hide things from her and then she won't 'go out with you', as you humans say."

Kurama spluttered and started choking. Rika came over and whacked him on the back.

"Why did you start choking? Are you allergic to something?" she asked as she fished in her pocket and pulled out a small vial of clear liquid that she thrust at him, saying "Drink this. It'll help."

Kurama sipped the liquid after carefully looking at it to see if it was poison. To his surprise, he immediately felt better, and he could feel the scar from Genbu's claws slowly vanishing. He handed the vial back to Rika and started to inspect his stomach wound. As he was busy inspecting it, he didn't notice the sudden sadness that crossed Rika's face. Hiei noticed and telepathically cheered her up, saying "Don't worry. "

Kurama's POV

_Well, that wasn't poison, but I wonder where she got it. My mate always kept a vial like that around her neck in case I was ever injured and she couldn't heal me. I assume that when she was killed it was destroyed, so where did Rika get it? I may need to interrogate her later, but she may become suspicious. Tem- wait, not her. This is Rika, not her. No matter what my feelings for Rika are, I'll never forget my mate. Never._

As Kurama and Rika were lost in their thoughts, Hiei was impatient to find the demon and collect the bounty, which he could give to Koenma to trade for a treasure that Koenma had that he had been trying to get his hands on for several years.

"Can we get moving? I want to find that demon and be done. You can think after you trace the demon. Now, let's go." He snapped at them, breaking them out of their thoughts.

After traveling for a few more miles, they finally reached the temple. They climbed up the stone steps and walked out to the courtyard of the temple. Rika sighed and thought about what she had to do. "Hiei, I'm going to need to borrow your katana. Suuichi, can you find something for me? I need you to find some dill. When you find it, shred it and put it in a bowl with three tablespoons of water."

Hiei stared at Rika, who seemed to be oblivious of his scrutiny. "Rika, why do you need my blade? I hope that you aren't thinking of doing anything rash."

"Hah! Of course not. But I may do something stupid, so be prepared to rescue me if necessary." She snorted, looking around to position herself in the middle of the courtyard.

Kurama paused as he was about to go find a place to secretly grow the dill. "What do you mean?" He asked, giving her a look.

"Nothing life-threatening, but a little bit painful. You'll find out when you find that dill. Now, can you get going? I want to get this over with before dark." She explained to a concerned Kurama.

Kurama hesitated, and then went off in search of dill. He was careful to keep in hearing range, as he didn't feel safe leaving Rika in Hiei's company. She may be safe, but Hiei's company wasn't always the best. And besides, he wanted to see whether or not they were lying when they said that they didn't know each other. He was right to do so, but he didn't find out anything unusual, as they had taken the precaution to speak telepathically with each other in case Kurama had decided to eavesdrop.

"_What is the point of being human? You can revert to your demon form; it's been thirteen years since you were injured. I think that Kurama would like you to do that-"_

Rika cut him off._ "No! Don't tell me what he would like! I know what he wants and I know what I want. I don't want to do anything until the Dark Tournament. Ok? Please just leave me alone to do this tracking spell." _She responded irritably, glaring at Hiei, who just looked back at her impassively.

Rika whirled and resumed writing out the necessary spell to activate her tracking familiars. "If I may borrow your katana, Hiei? Hey, Kurama! Did you find the dill yet?" She shouted into the woods that fringed the temple grounds.

Kurama shouted back, "Yes, I found it. I'm coming back."

As he walked back into sight, he wondered where he was going to find a bowl and water to put it in. Rika, however, was prepared. He found a small bowl with a measuring cup sitting in it waiting for him on the lip of the well that hadn't been there when he had been there a few days ago. He cautiously picked up the measuring cup and proceeded to pull up a bucket of water. He was careful to keep the water from touching him, as this water was from a shrine and he didn't know what the consequences would be if he got wet.

When the bowl had been filled with the three tablespoons of water, he put the dill in. What happened was surprising. When the dill came in contact with the water, the water started hissing and boiling, and turned white.

He had jumped back and was a good ten feet away when he felt a hand on his back. This caused him to jump back towards the well, which wasn't there any more.

Rika chuckled at his antics. "Relax. It won't purify you into nothing; this spell is for tracking only. Hiei, can I have your katana now? Everything is ready, and if the blood isn't added with that of whatever you want to track, I'll have to start over from scratch."

Hiei slowly handed over his katana, and then suddenly had a change of mind and pulled it away. "Why can't you use just a piece of rock or a kitchen knife? Why my blade?"

She glared at him. "Because that's what was used to cut the demon. The spell is very picky. It has to be exact, or it may backfire and open up a portal to the Makai. I don't think that you want that."

Hiei scowled and unsheathed his blade, flipping it around so that the hilt was facing Rika. She took it and told Hiei to hold the bowl while she carefully took the katana. Hiei had an idea of what she was going to do, but Kurama was still a little bit confused as to what was about to happen. So it was a shock when she suddenly sliced open her palm.

He yelled, "What are you doing? That wasn't necessary! You could bleed to death!" he tried to grab her hand so that he could heal her palm.

She jerked away, and Hiei growled, "Don't mess with her now. This spell is very delicate. If it goes wrong, she may die."

Those words effectively stopped Kurama in his tracks. He settled for watching her carefully, just in case she suddenly died or went into a coma. He watched in fascination as she plunged the hand holding the bloodstained cloth into the bowl of milky liquid. Immediately it turned red and started to bubble.

But then something went wrong. A shadow shot out of the woods and attacked Rika and Hiei. They were both defenseless, as neither one could move without disturbing the spell. Kurama jumped to their rescue, but it went too fast for him to do anything, as he had been caught by surprise. The shadow swiped Rika's shoulder, and she fell to the ground in a spray of blood.

Kurama was stunned. Because of his slowness, Rika was either wounded or dead. Hiei was feeling the same way, but he didn't just stand there staring at Rika. He went into action, grabbing his katana from the ground where it had fallen when Rika had dropped it when she was injured. He sped off after the shadow, which he knew must have been the demon Rika was trying to track.

The demon, already wounded from his last encounter with Hiei, was just a little bit too slow to defend himself from Hiei's fury. He was cut up into hundreds of little pieces. This pulled Kurama out of his shock, and he knelt next to Rika, who was unconscious, and ran his hands through his hair. He found what he was looking for, and he planted a seed into her wounded shoulder. Before he could start to grow it, the red liquid, which had been spilled on the ground, attached itself to her shoulder, disappearing into the wound and healing it. Kurama was surprised, but Rika, who was now conscious, wasn't.

"Oh, ow. That really hurt. What happened? How long was I out?" She asked in confusion.

"Not all that long. The demon had been dealt with. Are you ok?" Hiei asked as he cleaned up his blade.

"Yes, I am, but-"

"I want to look at your shoulder. The red stuff healed you, but I want to make sure. Hold still." Kurama commanded as he interrupted her.

Rika sighed. "Yes, the wound is completely gone. The 'red stuff' is what did it. It only has three uses, so I'm glad that one went into healing my wound. Are you satisfied?"

Kurama looked a little miffed. "Well, I just want to know that you're alright. Now that the demon is dead-"

Hiei interrupted him. "I don't think that the demon is entirely dead. It just got up and left while you two were arguing."

Both Rika and Kurama stared at Hiei. "WHY didn't you tell us sooner?! And WHY didn't you stop him?!" Both of them yelled at Hiei, who seemed to be rather unconcerned.

"I don't think that he'll produce much of a problem for Yusuke and Kuwabara. Yusuke took out Suzaku after all."

Both Rika and Kurama were in shock. "That may be true Hiei, but what about the bounty? I thought you wanted it to get one of Koenma's treasures. Now Yusuke and Kuwabara are going to get it." Kurama asked in confusion.

Hiei shrugged. "I don't care about it anymore. I have my eye on another, larger bounty. Now, good-bye."

With that, Hiei left. Rika sighed and looked at Kurama. "I think it's time to leave for home. I have homework to do. I know that you have math homework too. Let's go."

Kurama nodded and they both left. Kurama left with more unanswered questions, and Rika left with the knowledge that the demon seemed to have it in for her.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry I took so long. I was busy with homework and I had writer's block. I won't take so long with the next one, I promise. 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

* * *

Quick summary: Rika, Kurama, and Hiei have gone to the temple to try to track down a wanted demon. Rika was right in the middle of the spell when the demon attempted to kill her. Hiei sliced up the demon, but it got up and walked away. Now they are calling it a day and leaving to go home and rest. 

As Rika and Suuichi (Kurama is now Suuichi, as he is assuming his human identity again) walked down the sidewalk, they didn't say much. Both seemed to be lost in their thoughts about what had happened at the temple. Suuichi was thinking about who Rika might be. She was as mysterious as Hiei. He wondered so many things about her; there were so many unanswered questions. Rika was thinking about Suuichi. She was thinking about what he thought of her, about whether or not he liked her. She was confused about some things he did, but she knew him so well, even though she had only started talking to her just a few days ago. Had it only been three days? It felt like so much longer.

They suddenly noticed that they had wandered off course, and were close to the red-light district. They hastily corrected their course, but a man standing outside a building called to them, saying "Hey, do you need a place to relax together without being caught? This is the place for you. Rates are very low for a short time only!"

Suuichi blushed, and Rika told the man that they barely knew each other. The man replied that the love hotel would take care of that problem. Rika couldn't think of anything to say to that, so she just steered Suuichi away from the hotel and they hurried off.

Later, when they had reached the bookstore, Suuichi paused before going in. He wondered if he should just go straight home or call his mother to reassure her that he wasn't dead and stay awhile. He decided to call and then go home for the night, as Rika probably had homework to do. Come to think of it, he had homework to do as well.

"Rika, may I use your phone? I want to call my mother to let her know that I'm still alive and not part of a gang." Suuichi told her as he walked into the store. She paused, and then rummaged in her pocket. After a few moments of struggling, she pulled out a silver and blue cell phone.

She handed it to him, saying "Here, use this. The phone here doesn't work well at the moment."

He accepted it, and dialed his home number. After four rings, Suuichi's mother picked up. "Suuichi, is this you? Where are you? Are you ok?"

"Yes, mother, I'm fine. I'm at Crocodile Bookstore. I just called to let you know that I'm coming home. Ok?"

"Yes, and you still have homework to do. Oh, someone called, and left a message for you. He didn't leave his name though." Shiori told him.

"Oh? Well, I'll be home in a few minutes. Bye mother."

When he turned to give the phone back to Rika, she wasn't there anymore. He sighed and started looking for her. He eventually found her on the third floor, with her nose buried in a book.

"Here's your phone back. What are you reading?" He asked as he held out her phone to her. Rika looked up, and reached out to take her phone back. But when she took it, Suuichi wouldn't let go. She gently tugged at it, and then looked into his eyes.

She was very surprised to see something in his eyes, something ancient. She shuddered, turned away and let go. But Suuichi wasn't going to let her phone fall to the floor. He grabbed her hand, opened her palm, and deposited the phone into her hand.

She was shocked at how different he was, he wasn't acting innocent. He didn;t act flustered or embarrassed at what he had done. While she couldn't do anything except stare at him, he smirked and said, "Well, I have to go now. See you tomorrow, Rika." With that, he left.

* * *

So what do you think will happen tomorrow? Is Suuichi/Kurama's new behavior going to continue? Please continue to read and review! (And, yes, I know that his behavior is a little bit out of character, so I'll try to keep him within character. Ok?) 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

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Ok, I don't own YuYu Hakusho, or any of the characters. And yes, I know that I haven't been very faithful, but I had finals, and now I have the whole summer to write. 

I say that this story is between the Yukina rescue and the Dark Tournament, so that may mean that Yusuke still isn't sure about Hiei's motives. I don't think that he trusts him quite yet.

* * *

So Suuichi has just left Crocodile Bookstore, and he has shown Rika that he feels something for her, but as is his mysterious nature, he doesn't say that he likes her outright. He hints at it. This is very frustrating for her. 

So she goes and vents to Risa over the phone about what Suuichi has done so far.

"_What_!? He did _that_?! You mean you've gotten to second base before I have? Oh, you are so going to get it when I see you tomorrow. You said that we would do these things together!" Risa shouted into the phone.

Rika winced and held the phone away from her ear. "Yes, I promised that we would, but I have no control over what Suuichi decides to do. If I told him that I had promised to do these things together with you, he would think that it's weird. I mean, it sounds like we're…"

"_What_?! He wouldn't think that. I know that he's supposed to be smart, so I think he'll understand. Now, tomorrow, you will go and tell him to slow down, because you don't think that you want to go fast. Ok? And if he thinks you're weird, you can just dump him. I know that there's a waiting list for you. Akira told me that he's seen it. Apparently, half the boys at school have a crush on you, but are afraid of your brother. Anyway, goodnight, and do tell Suuichi that you want to go slower. If he really loves you, he'll do anything you say." Risa hung up on a very stunned Rika, who didn't think that she could really do anything to change what Suuichi decided to do with her. She would just not tell her if Suuichi did anything else.

While Rika thought about her relationship with Suuichi, Suuichi was thinking about the Dark Tournament, which was supposed to start soon. He had gotten an invitation, and knew that it was very unavoidable that he would attend. But… what would happen if he died there? What would happen to his mother? She would never know what happened to him. For all she knew, he had just vanished off the face of the earth. He would leave for school and never come back. And Rika, what would she think happened? Would she pine away for him?

He was so lost in thought that he walked into the doorpost of his house. "Oh, ow. I can't believe that actually happened to me. It always happens to people in books, never in real life. Now my theory has been proved wrong. Ow."

It's kind of hard to believe that this person is going to the Dark Tournament, isn't it?

* * *

Yes, I know that this chapter is really short compared to my others, but the creative flow is stopped, it won't come back even if I try to bribe it. It's being very stubborn. 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

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Hi! I know that I've been slacking lately, but my creative juice is gone, so I have writer's block. It's really irritating. Oh, and I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, but I do use some quotes in this chapter.

* * *

Last time, Suuichi was showing Rika how he feels about her and she vented to Risa, and Suuichi walked into the doorpost of his house. He was also thinking about the Dark Tournament, and what would happen if he died there. 

The Next Day…

"Hey, Rika, wait up!"

Rika heard this call and turned to see who was calling her name. She saw Suuichi running up to her, and she stopped to let him catch up. He ran up next to her and bent over, out of breath.

"So, what's new? Did anything exciting happen after I left yesterday?" Suuichi asked her after he had caught his breath.

"Oh, not much, I finished my homework and went to bed. Oh! Did you do your math homework? I hope you did, or else it would be a detention for you, and that would be very dangerous, considering that your fan girls would be waiting for you. It would also be dangerous for me, as it would be me assigning you the detention." She replied, looking at something across the street.

"Yes, I did do my homework, and what are you looking at?" He asked looking across the street too to see what was so interesting.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing, I just thought that I saw someone I know, but we're going to be late if we don't get moving. Come on, let's go!" she shouted as she started running ahead of Suuichi.

As they ran to school, the person Rika had seen stepped out of the darkness in the alley where he had been standing. He released the concealment spell he had put up to try to prevent her from seeing him, and walked out; looking in the direction Rika and Suuichi had gone. He chuckled to himself, and turned back into the alley.

"Hmm, it seems that the girl is doing well, I hope to see what develops in the future. But first, the boy who is not a boy. He is a threat, and must be dealt with accordingly."

At School

"Miss Hayashi, is this going to be a repeat performance of two days ago? If it is, then you can just go straight to the office. If it isn't, then please be good and be quiet, and most of all, PAY ATTENTION! Got it?" Mr. Tatsuki shouted at Rika, who was staring out the window and not paying attention to what he was shouting to her.

Suuichi raised his hand and Mr. Tatsuki snapped "Yes, Mr. Minamono, do you have something to say?"

"Yes, I do. I'd like to be excused, because it's time for my dentist appointment. I did hand you the note, remember?"

"Oh, well then, off you go. And take Miss Hayashi with you on your way out. I don't want to see her anymore. Please escort her to the office."

"Ok. Come on Rika, let's go." Suuichi called to her, but she didn't hear him, as she was staring rather intently out the window, and seemed to be preoccupied.

Suuichi coughed, and she glanced at him before turning her attention out the window again. But whatever was so interesting was apparently gone, and she stood up and walked out the door, with a confused Suuichi following her.

"Hey, what was so interesting outside?" Suuichi inquired as he tried to keep pace with her long stride.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing, I just saw someone I think I know outside. But...Oh, never mind. It's nothing for you to worry about. Ok? Please don't ask anymore about it." Rika said quietly, as she turned into the hallway that leads to the office.

Suuichi stopped and frowned at Rika's retreating back, with her long black hair swaying in her strange gait. He hastily looked somewhere else to avoid having bad thoughts about her, thoughts that were forbidden. He continued on his way out of the school, and was thinking about the invitation left on his answering machine to the Dark Tournament that he had received yesterday evening. He was glad that he had forged a note so that he could go meet Toguro the older at the abandoned warehouse.

At the Warehouse

When he got there, he found Hiei waiting for him. Hiei was sitting in a tree in the empty, overgrown lot next to the warehouse, and was frowning at something out of Kurama's sight.

"Well fox, he's here, and is intimidating Yusuke inside the warehouse. I look forward to seeing him in full potential at the Tournament. Fighting him is the only good reason why I would attend that pointless thing, as I don't go for the show-offs they have there. This one promises to be very interesting." Hiei commented to Kurama after he had jumped down to join the kitsune on the ground.

"Yes, it should be very interesting, but I might have a slight problem." Kurama replied, while peering into the windows in an attempt to see what was going on.

Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind announced the unleashing of Toguro's aura. The grass was flattened, and small pebbles rolled along the ground.

Kurama gasped, and shielded his eyes from the dust that was flying in the air. "Wow, I'm not sure that I want to be the one to go against him. What do you say, Hiei?" Kurama asked, after the dust settled.

"Hn."

Soon after, Toguro emerged out of the darkness, and glanced over to where Kurama and Hiei stood.

"I see by your faces that you've received your invitations. You'll be on Urameshi's team, of course. When you side with humans, it brands you forever. Your fifth is up to you. My advice? Select for strength and smarts." He told them as he walked away.

Kurama turned to Hiei and asked" What are our chances, you think?

Hiei replied "Couldn't say."

Later

Rika was working at the bookstore, meaning that she was delivering books to customers. She looked one more time at the directions written on the paper before crumpling it up and throwing it away into the trash can.

She gathered up the books she would be delivering, and walked out the door. She knew where she was going, and was soon in the vicinity of the hotel where she would be delivering the books.

As she neared the hotel, she looked up and saw a man staring at her through a window. She gasped, and nearly dropped the books she was carrying. The man disappeared, and she nervously continued on her way into the hotel. When she got to the front desk, she asked where room 251 was, and was told it was on the second floor, the third door on the left in the second corridor to the right.

She arrived at room 251, and hesitantly knocked. The door was immediately opened by none other than Toguro, who smirked and took the books from her arms.

"Thank you for going out of your way to give these to my client. Would you like to come in to have a cup of tea?" He pleasantly asked her.

This caused her to step back and say "No! No, thank you. That's a kind offer, but I have somewhere else to be."

"Oh, then I presume that your irritability with me isn't because of the invitation your dear sweetheart Kurama received?" he inquired with a straight face.

She blinked, but didn't back away. "Well, no. I was expecting him to be invited sooner or later. So the Tournament is to be in two months at Hangman Island?"

"Yes, it is indeed. Such a wonderful island; very remote and so green at this time of year. Would you like me to take you there so you can see your beloved be dismembered, along with all his friends?' Mr. Sakyo asked, appearing at the door behind Toguro, who stepped aside so that they could talk face to face.

Rika blinked again and hesitated before saying "Yes, I think that is very nice of you to offer, Mr. Sakyo. I think I will come with you."

"Oh, good. We have many things to talk about on our way there. I will pick you up at the harbour at 6:30 two months from now. Does that agree with your schedule?" Mr. Sakyo inquired, bowing to Rika.

"Oh yes, it suits my schedule very nicely. But then you knew that it would, didn't you? You had me followed. I saw you Toguro, today at school. You stuck out a lot." She commented.

"Oh? Well then, I must work on my disguises then. Now, I think Mr. Sakyo has some reading to do, so off you go. Good-bye, I look forward to seeing you at the Tournament."

With that, Rika left and went back to the store, where she found Suuichi waiting for her; apparently he wanted to tell her something important.

* * *

What do you think Suuichi has to say to Rika? Does it have to do with the Dark Tournament? And how long do you want this story to be? I'd like some feedback on how many chapters you'd like this story to be. I don't want to lose my readers because my story is too long. 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

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I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, but I do use some quotes. 

Thank you for sending a review Shadow Ice Maiden, I feel so motivated now. Thank you for getting me out of my slump. It's knowing that people like my story and are willing to show it that makes me happy. THANK YOU!

* * *

Ok, so Suuichi has something important to say to Rika, who, if she decides to tell him, has an invitation to the Dark Tournament by Mr. Sakyo, who seems to be rather strange. 

"Hey, umm, Rika, I have something to tell you. Can we talk about it inside?" Suuichi nervously asked, not looking at Rika's face but somewhere off to the side.

Rika glanced at him, and then told him "Ok, let's go. Anyang, we'll be upstairs on the third floor, okay?"

Anyang frowned as she saw how serious her niece and Suuichi were. She wondered why they were like that, but a customer came up to pay, and she forgot about it.

"Ok, what's up? Is something bothering you?" Rika asked as they walked up the narrow stairs to the third floor.

"Well, yes, something is bothering me, but…" He didn't get a chance to finish, as Chizu sprang at him and proceeded to tear him up, screeching madly.

"Oh! Chizu, stop that! CHIZU! Knock it off!" Rika bellowed at the cat, which let Suuichi go and walked away, as if she hadn't done anything wrong.

Rika shook her head, explaining "I'm sorry, but I don't think that Chizu likes you very much. I have no idea why. I'll try and keep her away the next time you're here. Let me look at your scratches." She then started to look at the scratches that Chizu had given Suuichi. She frowned and reached for something in her pocket, but then she sighed and muttered something under her breath that Suuichi couldn't hear.

Rika's POV

_Oh, why didn't I stock up on the potion? I would have, but Hiei had to go and drink it all. What do I do now? The Tournament is in two months, and the potion takes two and a half months to prepare. If Toguro is going to be attending, then I'll need lots to patch up the guys in case they get really hurt. Maybe… Just maybe I can speed up the process, enough to get it ready by the time Mr. Sakyo comes to pick me up. I hope that I don't mess it up, or else it'll become a potent poison. Oh, why didn't I keep Hiei from drinking all of it?!_

Suuichi noticed that Rika was worried about something, and wondered how to break the news that he would be leaving for awhile, to attend the Tournament. He decided to be open with her, to prolong his relationship with her.

"So, uh, well, there's this tournament thing that I'll be attending, and so I'll be gone for about two weeks or so, and I leave in about two months. Please don't worry, I'll be fine. Okay?" He rushed, so that she wouldn't be mad at him or start to cry and wail about his safety.

But to his surprise, she didn't do either of them, and she was rather calm about the whole thing. She said "Yes, I know. Oh, I'm thinking about getting you transferred to an all-boys school. I don't think that it's safe for you here at our school. I myself am thinking about transferring to Yusuke's school at the end of the year. I have the forms here if you want to look at them."

Suuichi could only gape at her, because he was surprised to know that she knew about the Dark Tournament, and was very calm about it, and also that she could just change the subject just like that, like they weren't talking about a life threatening situation, but about something as mundane as the menu for lunch at school.

"Wait, you know about the Tournament?! How?" He snapped. He was stricter than he wanted to sound, but he was very worried. If she knew about the Tournament, then she might be involved in it. He might not be able to protect her if someone, namely Toguro, came to "invite" her, meaning force her at the threat of assassination.

Rika glared at him, and said "It's none of your business how I know about the Tournament. I'll tell you eventually, but for now all you need to know is that I learned about it a long time ago. Just drop it, okay?"

Suuichi scowled at her, and she made a face back at him.

She turned away and walked down the aisle to the back, where there was a staircase to a balcony. She walked up the stairs and disappeared from his sight. But he wasn't going to let her get away that easily, so he caught up to her and grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn to face him.

"I want some answers. If you know about the Tournament, then you're in danger. I can't protect you. I'm just worried about your safety." He explained He walked her to a couch against the wall and made her sit down on it, before sitting down next to her.

She jerked her arm out of his grip and said "I don't think I can get any safer than going with him. Oh!" she gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "You weren't supposed to hear that! Just forget about it, okay?"

Suuichi stared at her in shock. "Wait, you're going with Toguro!?"

Before she could explain, Hiei arrived, saving her the trouble of explaining how she had been cornered by Toguro and Mr. Sakyo when she had delivered Mr. Sakyo's books to them.

Hiei looked at Rika and Suuichi, and asked Rika "So, I take it that he found out? I suppose that you blabbed about it accidentally. Well, I'm not going to get involved in your lover's spat." And with that, he left.

Rika sighed. "I wish he would stick around longer. I have a bone to pick with him about my potions he drank. It's a surprise he isn't bouncing around, with all the stuff he drank."

Suuichi glanced at her in surprise. "What did he drink?"

Rika shrugged, saying "Oh, you know that potion I gave you? Well, I had about eight bottles of it, and he came in and drank every single one of them. That stuff is strong; in large doses it will cause extreme euphoria in the drinker, much like the effects of alcohol. This happened just yesterday evening, after I came home. I don't know how long it'll take for that to happen, but even with his constitution, it should make him thoroughly happy and peppy, and much more relaxed."

"Oh. I see. Well, that should be something to see." Suuichi remarked mischievously, grinning. "I wonder if I can get a picture of it happening…"

Somewhere in a field...

Hiei was dancing around with a garland of flowers on his head, and singing about how happy he was.

"Oh! I'm so happy, oh so happy! I could be like this all day long! Whee!"

* * *

I can't believe that that is Hiei. Isn't it funny? Will Suuichi get a picture of Hiei dancing with flowers on his head and singing? Will Hiei remember what he did during his happy dance? 


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

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Hi! Yes, I know that I'm behind on updating. But I had a summer music camp to go to, and it went on all day- 8 ½ hours of non-stop music! For two weeks! (Except for the weekends) It was pretty strenuous. Fun as it was, I'm glad that it's over. 

Thank you for reviewing! You have made me very happy like Hiei!

* * *

Okay, so Rika has told Suuichi that she's attending the Dark Tournament as a guest of Mr. Sakyo. Suuichi, is, as expected, not happy about this fact and is going to attempt to get her to change her mind. Also, because of the many potion bottles Hiei took, he is now dancing around somewhere, singing happily with a wreath of flowers on his head. 

Rika tilted her head, thinking aloud "I wonder if I can find my digital camera. I think I could find Hiei, and take a picture of him. It should be pretty close to when he will experience the happiness, so when I find him, I'll take a picture and he won't remember a thing, unless he isn't terrible affected by the side effects of the potion." She looked at Suuichi, who was silently fuming to himself about the fact that she would be going to the Dark Tournament in the care of Mr. Sakyo and the Toguro brothers.

She asked "Would you like to come with me? Or are you still upset that I'm going to the Tournament whether you like it or not?"

Suuichi snapped out of his thoughts and said "Yes, of course I'm coming. I'd like a copy of the picture, so that I can blackmail him if he gets too irritating. How are you going to find him?" He was very curious about her methods of tracking, and since her last attempt had been interrupted, he hadn't been able to see whether or not it would have worked.

Rika told him, "I have a scrap of his cloak, and I'm going to use the method that I used to find the rogue demon. I don't think that he's going to interrupt, so that you can study my method. Now, you know what you need to go get?"

Suuichi nodded, and went off to go get the dill. When he returned, he found Rika holding a scrap of black cloth, and she was standing in front of a table that held a bowl and a small knife.

"Okay, I need you to hold the bowl, and don't stop me when I add my blood. This spell is very tricky, and if it goes wrong, it'll open up a portal to the Makai, and we'll both die. Got it?" She asked him, holding out the bowl to him.

He nodded and carefully took the bowl, and when she added the dill and the water, he didn't flinch. And when she cut open her palm to add her blood to call her familiars, he tried not to think about it.

He concentrated on what was happening, and found himself paying very close attention. As Rika's blood dripped into the frothing liquid in the bowl, white shapes started circling her, and she started chanting a spell that would control the shapes into doing what she wanted.

Rika's tracking familiars were ghostly, and he couldn't make out what shape they were, but he saw several tails, and came to the conclusion that they must be two tailed creatures, perhaps foxes. He started wondering about that, and nearly missed what happened next.

The shapes became more solid, and they started whirling around faster, until they became substantial. Then they shot out the window, and waited for their mistress to follow them. Suuichi realized that Rika was shaking his arm, and telling him to get a move on, her familiars had Hiei's scent and would take them to him. He finally got a look at what her familiars were, and he saw that they were indeed two tailed foxes.

This caused him to start thinking about why, out of all demons to choose from, she had picked two tailed foxes as her familiars. He didn't get to finish his thought, as Rika had him by the arm and was dragging him down the stairs and out the shop.

They rushed down the sidewalk, while Rika's familiars floated above them, occasionally swooping down to gently brush against her, and if encouraging her to keep going. Suuichi noticed that they avoided him, whenever one brushed against Rika, it kept well away from him. This caused him to wonder, but he didn't get to finish his thought, as they arrived next to a field.

Rika cautiously peered through the grass and trees at someone dressed in black dancing around and singing at the top of his lungs.

"Yes! We found him. Suuichi, do you have your camera? We need to get closer. I don't think that he should remember anything he does, but we shouldn't let him see us. Let's go!"

They silently crept up to the figure, who was obviously Hiei. Rika positioned her digital camera, while Suuichi did the same with his camera. They each took several pictures, and then the silently left Hiei to his gyrations.

As they were walking away, Rika looked over her shoulder at something. What she saw alarmed her and so she grabbed Suuichi's hand and ducked down an alley.

"Wait, what's wrong? Mmph!" He was cut off as Rika clapped her hand over his mouth, and shoved him backward into a doorway, where she hissed "Don't move! Be quiet until he passes."

They waited until Rika sensed the man's presence disappeared. She let Suuichi go, and apologized for how sudden it was. Suuichi demanded an explanation.

Rika wondered how to tell him about the man. _I don't think that saying_ "Well, there's this guy who's been stalking me. Don't worry about it, he's harmless," _would go over too well. Suuichi seems to be rather overprotective, so I don't want him to worry, but I don't want him to go out and try to attack the man either. _

Suuichi stared at her, and said "Well? Do you know that man?" Suddenly an angry glint appeared in his eyes, and he said "If he's been bothering you…"

Rika blinked and said "No, he hasn't really been bothering me, but he follows me everywhere. Haven't you noticed? He doesn't like you though. I've felt the bloodlust whenever you're around." _Great, now I have two ardent admirers. I think that that's one too many for my liking._

* * *

Who is this man who stalks Rika? Did Hiei remember what happened? Find out in the next chapter, which will be longer. 

Yes, I know that this chapter is really short, but I thought that this would be a good place to stop. I will try to write longer chapters, but I find good places to stop while I'm writing.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

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Later on, I might have to temporarily put this story on hold, since I don't actually know what comes after the Dark Tournament, because the manga isn't up that far yet, and I don't have it on DVD. So pardon me when that happens. I promise as soon as I find out, I'll restart the story. Okay? 

I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

* * *

So Rika and Suuichi have gone to get a few pictures of Hiei dancing around with flowers on his head and singing at the top of his lungs, and when they came back to the store, Suuichi found out that Rika has a stalker who doesn't like him, and he is predictably upset. So now they are back outside Crocodile Bookstore. 

"Hey! Kurama! I have a favor to ask!" shouted a familiar voice. It belonged to none other than Kazuma Kuwabara, as he came running up to the store.

Suuichi/Kurama looked at Kuwabara when he came running up, panting because he was out of breath. "Yes? You said you want me to do a favor for you? What is it?"

"Uh, well, I was wondering if you could train me for the tournament, since you don't seem to be busy right now… Please?" Kuwabara turned puppy eyes on Kurama, who couldn't say no to such an adorable sight.

"Okay, when do you want to start? We can start tomorrow, if it's okay with you. Rika… Hey, where'd she go?" Kurama wondered, as he turned to where Rika had been standing. She had disappeared, most likely into the store. Kurama scratched his head in confusion. Why did she leave? Was she afraid of Kuwabara?

"Hey, who's Rika? Ooh, is she your _girlfriend_? Have you kissed her yet?" Kuwabara teased a blushing Kurama, who didn't know what to tell him, since he wasn't all that sure of their relationship himself.

"Uh, no, she's not, she's just one of my classmates from school. Anyway, when do you want to start your training?" He asked, trying to change the subject in hopes that Kuwabara might get distracted and forget about Rika in favor of training for the Tournament. He wasn't very lucky.

"I know you're trying to change the subject. I was right! Kurama has a crush! I can't wait to tell Urameshi!" Kuwabara gleefully shouted, not noticing that Hiei come down and stand behind him.

"I don't believe that it is any on your business who Kurama is dating." Hiei said rather calmly, causing Kuwabara to jump about a foot in the air, and splutter angrily about not sneaking up on people.

Hiei trained his eyes on Kurama, who was rather pink in the face. "So, how far have you gotten with her?" he asked with a smirk of amusement.

Kurama turned even redder, and muttered, "It's none of your business either."

Fortunately, fate smiled on Kurama, and a distraction came running up. It was none other than Hiraku, and apparently, he wanted to talk to Kuwabara.

"Hey! Did you hear about the Dark Tournament! I want to get tickets; do you think you could help? Hey, who's the red head? He looks awfully familiar…" Hiraku trailed off, staring at Kurama, who was frantically trying to not look like Yoko, and also holding his breath.

"Hah! We're actually going to be fighting in the tournament, so you could come watch us beat everyone else up! Oh, Kurama, what about the training? When should we start, and where are we going?" Kuwabara proudly stated to an amazed Hiraku, while looking at Kurama for an answer.

"Uh, yes, we are going to be participating in the Tournament, and I think that we can get you tickets. Kuwabara, I think that we should start as soon as possible, because we only have two months, and they're going to go by fast." Kurama said, finally starting to breathe again.

While they were talking outside, Rika was trying to think of something to distract Hiraku to save Kurama's identity, while not showing her hand in it.

Finally, an idea came to her. She could force Hiei to do something to distract Hiraku, using the pictures that she took of him as blackmail.

_Hey, Hiei, I got a few embarrassing pictures of you, and I was thinking that you could do something for me, in exchange for not showing these pictures to Yusuke or Kuwabara_, she told him, while trying not to burst into laughter.

'_Why should I do that? I don't' have proof that you have these pictures of me_.' Hiei replied.

_Because these are the pictures,_ she answered, transferring the pictures from her memory to Hiei.

Hiei gasped, and snapped, '_How did you get these pictures?'_

Rika replied _Oh, I have my sources. Anyway, Kurama has these pictures too. It's your fault that you look so silly, because you overdosed on my potion that would have come in handy during the Tournament. But because you drank all of it, I don't have any more and it takes more than three months to make. So consider this your punishment for your stupidity Just do something, so that Kurama's cover isn't blown._

'_. . . fine, I will. I would have done something anyway.' _He replied.

* * *

I'm sorry, I know that I said that I would make this chapter longer, but I'm having trouble writing. I've been focusing on Naruto lately, so maybe that's why I can't pay attention to this story. But I promise that I won't give up on this story, I will see it through to the end! 


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

I don't own YuYu Hakusho. I also don't own Forest Lane either.

* * *

Ok, I mean to get this chapter out before school started, but now it's almost two months since then. I am so sorry! I had so much AP U.S. History homework though…why did I take that class again? 

So Kurama is nervous around Hiraku, and this causes Hiraku to become suspicious of him. Rika is trying to blackmail Hiei, only to find that he would have done something anyway!

_

* * *

Wait! You would have done something regardless of the pictures? Argh! You are so frustrating! _Rika mentally shouted at Hiei, who ignored her and focused on diverting Hiraku's attention from Kurama. 

He decided to be forward and simply dump a conveniently placed bucket or water on him.

Hiraku spluttered angrily and yelled "What was that for? You're dead!"

A short scuffle took place, with Hiraku ending up on his face and Hiei standing on his back, with his katana stuck in the ground in front of Hiraku's face.

Kuwabara, on the other hand, was lost. Where did the Hiei come from and why did he dump a bucket of cold water on Hiraku? He decided to voice his confusion, saying, "Wait, what just happened? Hiei, why did you dump a bucket of water on Hiraku? He wasn't doing anything to you! What's going on?!"

"Yeah! What's the big deal with the water? I'm soaked! I landed in dirt, so now I'm muddy too! Where did that water come from anyway? It's freezing!"

"I don't think that you could get any more stupid. Of course you're going to get wet; I just decided to drop a bucket of water on you. Well, that's my good deed of the day, later." With that, Hiei disappeared, leaving everybody confused, except for Kurama, who had guessed why Hiei had dumped the water on Hiraku.

Hiraku got up and tried to wipe off some of the mud that was on his shirt. "Aw man, I'm soaked! I should go home and get a dry change of clothes. Kuwabara, don't forget that you're getting me tickets to the Dark Tournament, ok? Oh, and when you see the shrimp again, punch him for me. Bye!" With that, Hiraku ran off, leaving Kuwabara still confused.

Rika was very happy, but she saw that Kurama had figured out why Hiei had drenched Hiraku. She gulped, thinking about how she would have to face him eventually.

Kurama was planning to ask Rika about Hiei's sudden involvement, when Hiei made it clear that he didn't like most humans. _Hiei and Rika must know each other, otherwise Hiei wouldn't have done that…or would he? I should be careful, or they might figure out that I know about them. But when did Hiei meet her? They may have met before I met Hiei, but Hiei back then really despised humans, so they must have met after we met Yusuke. This is complicated._

Kurama was suddenly aware that Rika had come out of the shop, and was talking to Yusuke about the Tournament. He cleared his mind, and stepped into the conversation, saying, "Kuwabara, you said you wanted to train with me. We should get started tomorrow morning, about seven thirty, if you can manage to get up that early. We'll go out by the temple grounds."

At the mention of the temple, Rika glanced at Kurama, and asked, "The temple? But there's supposed to be a blessing of the incense tomorrow morning. I don't think that it would be a good idea to train there, but there is a place out by where I live. I can show you sometime tomorrow."

"There's going to be a blessing at the temple tomorrow? Are you going to be there? What about school? Do you have permission to attend?" Kurama asked, thinking that he could go and talk to her before the ceremony.

Kuwabara was still confused, and he hated being left out of a conversation. "Hey! I'm still here! Why did Hiei dump a bucket of cold water on Hiraku? What happened?"

Kurama sighed, saying, "I don't know why Hiei did something like that. He tends to be unpredictable. So anyway, Rika, when can we go see this place? Is tomorrow after school good?"

"Yeah, I'll meet you guys out by the bus station by Kuwabara's school. It won't take long to look at it. And yes, I do have permission. Kurama, could you take my homework with you, since I'm missing a whole day?" Rika asked, glancing at her watch. "So anyway, the store closes in a few minutes, I think I could show you a map of the place. Come on in," she added, gesturing towards the door.

They all filed in, and Rika led them up to the third floor. When they got there, Rika told them to go up to the small balcony and wait for her there.

"Oh, and Kurama, Chizu is loose around here, so watch out for ambushes," she called back as she disappeared behind some bookcases.

Kurama groaned, and carefully watched the floor and the tops of the bookcases. Kuwabara was confused again, so he tried to get Kurama's attention.

He tugged on Kurama's hair, and when Kurama turned around, he asked "Who is Chizu?"

Kurama glanced around, looking for Chizu, and then he whispered to Kuwabara "Chizu is Rika's cat. She seems to have taken a dislike to me. On my previous visit here, she ambushed me."

"Oh! Chizu is a cat! Where is she?" Kuwabara shouted, looking around for the little bundle of fur.

Suddenly, there was a yowl, and Chizu, having heard her name and sensing someone she disliked, dropped down onto Kurama's head.

Kuwabara was delighted, as he was a cat lover. He scooped Chizu off Kurama's head, and to Kurama's surprise, she curled up and started purring.

Kuwabara carried Chizu to the balcony, where he sat down on the couch and started cuddling Chizu, who behaved nicely.

When Rika came back with a folded up map, she found Kuwabara and Chizu playing a game with a piece of string. She smiled to herself, and unfolded the map and put it on the table.

"Here, this is where I live," she said, pointing to a spot on the map, "and then this is where you guys can train. Do you know how to get to there?"

Kurama studied the map, and said "Yes, we take this bus from here next to the school. Then we get off on Forest Lane, and then down the road until we come to a large field with a big rock in the middle of it, right?"

Rika nodded happily. "Yep! So you'll be there tomorrow around two thirty or three o'clock?"

Kurama said "Yes, and I'll have your homework for you too. Since you will have a blessing ceremony, will you be dressed in priestess clothes?"

"Um, if the ceremony takes longer than we expected. I also have something else to do after the ceremony, so I probably will be wearing priestess clothes. Why do you ask?" she asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"I just wanted to know so that we could recognize you from a distance. Those robes are very visible," Kurama said, thinking about what she would look like wearing the red and white priestess outfit.

Rika watched him, and then looked down to fold up the map. She stood up, saying "Well, the shop's closed so you guys should probably get some sleep. You're going to have a lot of work to do in the next few weeks. I'll see you later." With that, they all left to sleep and then train the next day.

* * *

Yay! I'm so sorry this took so long, but I've been really busy. I've also been very lazy, so you can scold me as much as you like for my laziness. This is a really long chapter, surprisingly. How do you like it? 


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